Bachmann, Huntsman enter state's March 24 presidential primary

BATON ROUGE -- Two more Republican White House aspirants jumped in the state's March 24 presidential primary today, swelling the field to seven.

Brett Flashnick, The Associated PressRep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., signed up Thursday to run in the March 24 Louisiana presidential primary.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, of Minnesota, were the two latest candidates to file papers with Secretary of State Tom Schedler's office.

Meanwhile, the Democratic field in the primary remained at two today.

President Barack Obama and Darcy Richardson, a blogger who has run unsuccessful statewide races in Pennsylvania and Florida, both qualified Wednesday, the first day of the three-day period to enter the race.

Local clerks of court are qualifying hundreds of candidates for municipal and special elections as well as for seats on the 210-member Democratic State Central Committee, the 230-member Republican State Central Committee and seats on the parties' parish executive committees.

Qualifying for those races also ends at 5 p.m. Friday.

Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@times-picayune.com or 225.342.5810.